Parting Thoughts

For years, becoming more physically fit has topped this nation’s list of New Year’s resolutions. Of course, the next consideration is how to go about achieving that goal. So, we recently asked three area fitness trainers the question, “What do you wish you’d known before you began your fitness journey?”

This is a great way to repurpose ribbons from past Christmases, making an elegant decoration for your holiday celebration. Coordinate colors with your Christmas theme or with your home’s interior design to create a festive and stylish seasonal design. Have fun and be creative!

Do you believe in ghosts and spirits and other things that go bump in the night? Even the most diehard skeptics nevertheless enjoy a scary story from time to time, especially this time of year, as Halloween approaches and dry leaves propelled by chilly autumn winds make thin scraping sounds like skeletal fingers scampering across the ground seeking reunion with…

What does the term mean to you? In conducting research for my Parting Thoughts column in this, our Design Issue, I searched for famous quotes by designers of all sorts, including graphic artists, interior designers and architects.

As a child and through my teens, I loved to draw. I immersed myself first in drawing horses, later moving to people and other subjects. Pen-and-ink was my favorite medium, though I dabbled a bit in charcoal as well as oils. Somewhere along the way, I quit drawing (except for the occasional doodle). Now that I’m “retired,” I am again…

“Find the explorer in you” at the Oklahoma City Zoo. In addition to lions and tigers and bears (oh, my!), attractions include the Great Ape Escape, Aquaticus and Explorikeet Adventure. The zoo, featuring some 1,800 animals, is located on 120 beautiful acres and is Oklahoma's No. 1 attraction and the third most family-friendly zoo in the country.

In this, our "Men's Issue," we take a look at comic books, or graphic novels as they are more commonly known today. Writing and reading about this evolving art form led me to think about my personal experiences with comics. I don't recall reading them very often (most often when visiting my male cousins), but I do remember wishing I…

On March 18, Linda Irie, Cleveland County Lifestyle photographer and co-owner of Crimsy Photography, was on a mission: to purchase a lamb for upcoming Easter photos. She never made it; Linda, along with two of her beloved grandchildren, were killed in a tragic accident on the Turner Turnpike.

This oft-recited poem by E.E. Cummings remains one of my favorites (along with Robert Frost’s “Birches”). Like Cummings’ poems, spring is full of sudden stops and starts and unexpected turns—one day warm and sunny, sending bushes and trees alike into full and glorious bud, then sending along a sudden killing freeze as if to say “tut, tut, not your turn…

An estimated 18,710 Oklahomans will be diagnosed with cancer in 2017, of whom 8,200 are expected to die. These numbers are staggering, pretty much guaranteeing everyone will be directly affected by someone facing cancer in their life.

Like snowflakes, women’s ideas of what constitutes the ideal Valentine’s Day celebration are as unique as the individual. I sent out a call on my personal and the magazine’s Facebook pages, asking women to share their thoughts about this romantic holiday. Many men may be surprised at their responses. Most said that for them, the day is more about spending…

Imagine being a latch-key kid who, upon arriving home from school, is responsible for preparing an afternoon snack for your younger siblings, or for starting dinner for your parents who work until 8 p.m. Picture being a single mother who never had the opportunity to learn safe food handling practices from her mother, or what spices make a dish taste…

This issue carries a story about this magazine's first major photo shoot, titled "Celebrating the Holidays in Style." It entailed a great deal of planning and execution, and no one was more thrilled than I when everything was at last wrapped up, and it was time to fold up the chairs, put away the cameras and say farewell to all…

The turkey's in the oven. Friends and family are on their way. You pace, thinking there must be something you forgot to do, to buy, to prepare. You know you should be excited, but you just can’t relax. Company arrives, and you put on your biggest smile and tell everyone how happy you are, but inside you feel like you’re…

Looking for something special to do this fall with your family? Would your children enjoy an old-fashioned corn maze or hayride? Or for the more adventurous, what about a zombie apocalypse paintball game? Those activities, and much more, are offered this fall at the Orr Family Farm, 14400 South Western in Oklahoma City.

Throughout this, the "Our Pets" issue, we show how pets play a significant role in our lives.They aren’t just like family, they ARE family. They take care of us when we face a physical and/or emotional disability, serve as solders in war zones, perform a valuable role in search and rescue missions, teach us valuable lessons in patience and compassion,…

Climb aboard a luxury ocean vessel, a river cruise ship in Europe or stay at a Gourmet 5 Diamond all-inclusive resort, and you'll immediately understand what sets the experience apart from life on a mass-market or contemporary ship or resort. Lavish attention to every detail and a level of personal attention and pampering that will leave you delighted and amazed.

I grew up in a female-dominated family, though my father never seemed to mind sharing his time at home with a wife and three daughters. If fact, I know he treasured his family time and, as far as I know, he never regretted not having a son.

The traditional model of mentoring is where a wizened professional bestows his or her wisdom and lessons from experience on an up-and-coming individual. The mentees watch, listen, learn and consult as they make their mark on the world. But for the organization Sooner Stilettos, the concept of mentoring this year included walking, even dribbling, in the other person’s shoes.

Lawns are transitioning from brown to green. The redbuds, forsythia, flowering quince and a multitude of other trees, bushes and flowers are bursting forth in a riot of color. Tiny green, fragile shoots are boldly breaking through the earth in backyard gardens everywhere. Spring has sprung, and who isn’t happy about that, unless it’s those of us with seasonal allergies?

We are truly blessed to live in a place where the arts–written, visual, performing and other–thrive. Whether your tastes run more toward the traditional or avant-garde, there’s always something just down Interstate 35 or street, if not your very own neighborhood, to please the eye and ear, to nourish your soul. Sooner Theatre in Norman offers young and older residents…

One of my dear friends is a painter who sees the world through her amazing artist eyes. When she was the newbie in our neighborhood, her heart was sensitive to how to integrate her family into the community. Driving one day, she noticed how birds perched on a telephone wire seemed to choose when to gather, and who to pause…